22 oz bomber pours a dark black with a mocha head that still shows some good pop after almost 4 years.

Nose is a wonderful mix of blackberry jam, wood and dark chocolate.

Taste is much the same, very smooth and has a little bit of everything...still some leafy hop remnants and of course the chocolate and fruit. I guess the birch syrup is giving a little wood chip type of flavor. Pretty good, seems to have aged well.

Nose: spicy, floral, espresso, chocolate, honey, root beer, hint of smoke.Rich brilliant deep brown to black with a 1/2" tan head that dissipates at medium speed. Leaves light lace and the beer has legs.Palate: Nice thick creamy chocolate flavors, a hint of honey, and hints of root beer and spices. Faint espresso and a suggestion of smoke.Rich, creamy and chewy with below average carbonation. I like the bottled version better than the draft..

I've been sitting on this for several years (since 2011) and now seems the time (the first weekend of empty nest).Booze, roast, sweetness, dark fruit.Still looks pretty darn good. Black with a dense tan head.Even at 3+ years still has a little youth on it. Nicely complex. Still pretty rich and holding some sweetness. Still sticky and lays on the teeth and tongue. A touch of bitterness floating around there somewhere but I'm not finding any hop flavor. As it warms and opens up more caramel flavors show. It also seems to lose some complexity at this point. I think the residual sweetness that is caramel somewhat is also the honey and birch syrup. It's kinda nice.Good feel. Full and soft.I like this. It's a solid RIS and I'm glad i sat on it for a couple of year.

Has to be one of the chunky-ist, thin beers I've ever seen! Lots of black and toasty caramel colors.

Phew. Smokey. Smells like rubber. Not a big fan. Roasty, peaty, and nutty.

Very funky un-blended flavors and mouthfeel. Lots of heavy chocolate and sweet syrup flavors. Carbonation is simply too much and very distracting. Bitterness is missing, but dryness is very forward. Chewy.

Um. I'm not sure what direction this brew wants to go... It's kind of a mess, I wanted to LOVE this brew, but it nearly avoided my drain... I am not a smokey beer fan, at all. Very average.

This took on a most unusual character as the nose was creamy with vanilla, maple syrup, caramel and chocolate malt. The flavor, though, was nothing like that with a black licorice, anise, caraway and a dry pumpernickle bread flavor. The nose seemed barrel aged stout while the flavor was a bit Scottish Ale.

T - Somewhat cola-like in flavor mixed in with some coffee and burnt and dark roasted malt, honey, slightly astringent

M - A bit thin for the style checking in at barely medium bodied. A lighter carbonation is appropriate and gives a just a bit of life to the beer. Char and astringency with a mixture of sweet and fruity/berry-like character.

O - Overall, just ok. Definitely not the typical imperial stout - for better or worse. A bit thin with some oddly placed flavors and missing the punch and assertiveness usually found in the style. Certainly drinkable...definitely not memorable. Glad to try it, but doesn't stand out as something special.